Who is Dona Laressa Desmond?
I specialize in helping Adults, Individuals and Couples in the LA area. Private practice since 1993.
I treat clients in my offices as well as via FaceTime and phone-sessions.
License
CA LMFT MFT29944
Degrees, Specialty Trainings and Certifications
Masters/Doctorate in Psychology (Antioch/AU--Emphasis on Relationships and Human Sciences)
Communication (Mentor: Dr. Alex French UCLA)
Gender Studies & Relationship Dynamics (Mentor: Dr. Alex French, UCLA)
Anger Management (1 year internship at SCCC)
Emergency Medical Technician-Medical Center for Pre-Hospital Care, UCLA
Coach Training
Certified Professional Coach (COEC, Santa Barbara, CA)
Member of ICF (International Coach Federation)
Skill sets - Life Coaching for Couples and Executive Coaching
Technical Consultant
Film-- Woody Allen --"Scenes From A Mall"
TV-- Naomi Judd Talk Show Pilot
TV-- Oprah-episode --"Infidelity"
Guest Therapist - Radio and Television
CNN News "Treatment of Panic Disorder"
KRLA Radio "Issues of Life: Your Relationships"
Fox TV "Impact of OCD Parents on Children"
MTV "Effect of TV Violence on Teens"
NBC "Crisis Counseling for stranded families with children impacted by September 11, 2001"
Trauma Training
Trauma Recovery: (Mitchell Technique-- UC San Diego)
Red Cross Certification: Crisis Debriefing for Emergency Services Personnel
Red Cross Certification: Crisis Intervention for Disaster Workers & First Responders
Red Cross Certification: Early Stage Disaster Management
Additional Skill Sets
Emotional Intelligence: Testing and Enhancement, (Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Method)
Executive Coaching: College of Executive Coaching. (Santa Barbara, CA)
Teaching
Crossroads School, (Santa Monica, CA.)--Teaching Intern/Life Skills Program
Workshops--"Depression and Stress Management in the Workplace." FBI, LA Bureau
Center for Citizens Initiative, Ekaterinborg, Russia-- Taught American Psychology Techniques to European Psychologists, Psychiatrists and Middle School Teachers
Affiliations
American Association of Integrative Medicine
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
Association for Traumatic Stress Specialists
International Critical Incident Stress Foundation
International Association for Relationship Research
What makes me unique as a therapist?
Actually there are several unique qualities that I bring to my clinical practice. One interesting aspect is the way that I began my practice in the Los Angeles area. After graduation and internship, I launched my practice by doing house calls. The population that I initially served was those who were homebound due to PTSD or anxiety disorders such as agoraphobia. Their fragile emotional state was such that they couldn't leave their home to attend therapy.
The range of my client base extended from Santa Clarita to Santa Monica. During those home sessions, of course, it was often the case that other family members would be present, usually a spouse. It became efficient to include them in the sessions and via that I began to understand the contagious nature of emotions inside a relationship. As this process evolved I branched in to deeper theoretical and practical ways for helping couples
My Business Listings
Psychology Today Therapist Directory.com
Therapist Info
Dona Laressa Desmond, PhD, LMFT
Expert Couples Counseling and Life Coach
